How to Eat the Best of America Without Leaving Home

America’s greatest culinary joys are regional, and understanding the character of different parts of the country is often as simple as tasting their most beloved local specialties, from pizza to BBQ, and cheesecake to cherry pie.

My father has taught me a few things over the years, many unsettling. But one of his most successful parenting moves was excellent use of the care package—each designed to introduce my brother and I to a foodstuff not regularly available in our home state of Connecticut. Once, we received 40 dozen tamales having never once seen masa in our lives. We also ate Turduckens before they became a “Man vs. Food” event. The epic scale of the gifts revealed a very simple message: Nothing replaces experiencing a proper regional delicacy from the source.

Twenty years ago, the idea of shipping ribs from Memphis to Hartford was a wild idea. Today, a laundry list of family-owned restaurants and bakeries are hip to the game. That reality breeds a whole new generation of arm-chair traveler, where you can actually get a taste of what you’re missing out on.

Ultimately, mail-order specialties allow for culinary excursions regardless of one’s ability to hit the road. Those selected here are the most successful in imparting the distinct flavor of the areas from which they come.

Lou Malnati's Deep-Dish Pizza

People say everything is possible in New York. Fans of deep dish beg to differ, and it is Chicago transplants who have fueled the rise of mail order pizza from the Windy City. Lou Malnatis has cornered the market, perfecting the packaging and allowing customers snag other local favorites like Portillo's Italian beef as well. The pizzas are 9" (enough for two hungry adults) and are sold in packs of two to six. Order here.

Anchor Bar Buffalo Wings

Sure, you can get wings at your corner bar any day of the week. But, does your corner bar have a James Beard award? Didn't think so. Don't let blue ribbons and medals sway the admittedly strange decision to mail order at minimum 50 Anchor Bar wings to your home though. As with all quests to taste the pinnacle of regional foods, curiosity should be your guiding light. Just how deadly the suicidal sauce is should be sufficient catalyst for seeing what this Buffalo, NY institution is all about. Order here.

Joe's Pasty Shop

One of America's great regional food secrets is the proliferation of the traditional English pasties (like savory turnovers) in northern Wisconsin and on Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The area, rich with copper and iron, drew immigrants from Cornwall who worked alongside Finns, Italians, and Poles. All of them gravitated to the pasty as a perfect lunch, and today the legacy continues with family-run bakery's like Joe's Pasty Shop, which has been around since 1946. Order here.

Salt Lick BBQ

Located outside of Austin, the Salt Lick may have fallen out of "cool guy" favor to trendier newcomers, but the place still rocks. It's sort-of-remote location keeps hordes away (to a degree) and also keeps the mystique high. Ordering a taste of the legend is the best way to get a taste of Texas when you're stuck in a crappy BBQ town. Get the beef ribs, a true Texas speciality, as well as some brisket (obviously). Order here.

Graeter's Ice Cream

The only proper way to finish a meal of Skyline chili dogs is with Graeter's ice cream. While other regional creameries deliver as well, the lure of Cincinatti's Graeter's is the legacy of the Queen City's 140-year-old favorite. The French Pot process means that ice cream is made just two gallons at a time. So, even as the brand has grown, the small-batch mentality has remained. And that is how tradition is passed directly to your palate. Order here.

Zingerman's Reuben Sandwich

Ann Arbor, MI isn't the first place that comes to mind when "deli" is mentioned. However, Zingerman's has become a national powerhouse since opening in 1982. When it comes to mail order, nothing matches Zingerman's Reuben Sandwich Kits—including Jewish Rye (Pumpernickel in Brooklyn Reuben), sliced deli meat, Emmentaler Swiss cheese, Zingerman’s homemade redskin potato salad, coleslaw, sauerkraut, Russian dressing, garlicky pickles, and some Magic Brownie Bites for good measure. All told, it easily the country's greatest sandwich available via FedEx. Order here.

Leonard's Bakery malasadas

Malasadas—Portugese donuts without a hole—are light, crisp, and chewy all in one bite. In the United States, the ideal malasada comes from the great island of Oahu. Leonard's has been making them since 1952, and now sends its famous treat all around the country. Sadly, the custard-filled variety doesn't travel. But the regular malasadas still do a fine job of satisfying an yearning for the Hawaiin favorite. Order here.

Grand Traverse Pie Company chocolate cherry pie

A classic Michigan cherry pie with chocolate topping? Not much can beat it. The Grand Traverse Cherry Crumb pie is a foodstuff on which a mini empire was born. Since 1996, the Busley family has worked a passion for pie into a booming regional business. Despite the growth, the taste has remained and Traverse—a city known for its tart cherries—has had a signature item to match its famous harvest. Order here.

Barney Greengrass

Since 1908, Barney Greengrass has been producing some of the nation's most memorable smoked fish, including old New York staples like sable and sturgeon. The Eastern Nova Salmon is the most popular lox,; that said, pushing beyond the obvious order and exploring the flavor that made Barney the "Sturgeon King" is also recommended. Add a few bialys to make it official. Order here.

Imo's Pizza

Though it's drowned out of the national pizza conversation by heavy hitters like New York and Chicago, St. Louis has quietly built its own fine traditions. No mozzarella here; instead, they use Provel®, placing it on a thin crust and pushing toppings all the way to the end of the disk (then cut in squares). It's a unique take on pizza—started on "The Hill" and perfected by the enterprising couple Ed and Margie Imo. Their chain, launched in 1964, now has 90 stores throughout Missouri. Nelly, not surprisingly, is a fan. For those outside of the Lou, Imo's mail order offers five types of pizza, or packs of 20 "shells" that allow you to get St. Louis flavor from any oven. Order here.

Katz's Deli pastrami dinner

The best part of a pastrami dinner for two from Katz's is that it comes with a t-shirt. The garment allows one to celebrate the legendary LES delicatessen long after eating its glorious meats. New York is home to several celebrated sandwiches, but few can transfer the soul of the city as fluidly to your cousin in Topeka. More over, when you yourself are in Topeka, nothing from the local market will satisfy a craving for proper pastrami—all the more reason to keep the dinner for two as several meals for one. Order here.

Eli's cheesecake

Among a certain breed of sweettooths, cheesecake can easily provoke the same regional fights that pizza inspires. For our money, the Second City has the best mail-order variety available, thanks to the venerable Eli's (a company that also owns the old-school hangout, Eli's the Place for Steaks). The Chicago-style treat features a firm exterior, softening to a creamy texture on the inside. The combination never fails. Order here.

Delicious Tamales

Refuting the name of this San Antonio establishment would be foolish—for 30 years, Delicious Tamales has been serving up the regional favorite to locals and out-of-town fans alike. The traditional preparation and corn husk wraps are the hallmarks of the operation, which offers a range from pork to sweet. Order here.

Skyline chili

Get your fix of Cincy's best. While Skyline's distinct chili (some reckon the secret ingredient is chocolate) is available in cans in several parts of the country, the reason to order is to get the proper coney dog as well. Skyline, like anyone selling a good hot dog, has its own custom-made wiener. Pop it in a steamed bun, smoother it with chili sauce, and cover with a healthy heap of shredded cheese—bam, perfection. Add a 3-way—that's Cincy speak for Skyline chili with spaghetti and a mountain of cheese—for a complete regional feast. (If adventurous, adding diced onion will turn the 3-way into a 4-way). Order here.

Hancock Gourmet Lobster Co. lobster rolls

Settle down, dudes in Brooklyn. Everyone knows, by now, that a few of your more heavily bearded friends set up a lobster shack a few summers ago and are now KILLING IT. But other parts of the country have been doing it for decades. To wit: Hancock's hooks up fresh Maine lobster salad and some legit New England split-top rolls for your mail-order lobster roll needs. Unless a total amateur is ordering, the move is to grab some Whoopie Pies to finish off the meal. For the record, the Maine-style lobster roll—which is traditionally cold—makes for better mail order than Connecticut's hot poached and buttered variety. Why pick Hancock? The company is based in lobster-happy Cundy's Harbor, and the family legacy in fresh seafood extends back to 1946. Order here.

America's greatest culinary joys are regional, and understanding the character of different parts of the country is often as simple as tasting their most beloved local specialties, from pizza to BBQ, and cheesecake to cherry pie.
My father has taught me a few things over the years, many unsettling. But one of his most successful parenting moves was excellent use of the care package—each designed to introduce my brother and I to a foodstuff not regularly available in our home state of Connecticut. Once, we received 40 dozen tamales having never once seen masa in our lives. We also ate Turduckens before they became a "Man vs. Food" event. The epic scale of the gifts revealed a very simple message: Nothing replaces experiencing a proper regional delicacy from the source.
Twenty years ago, the idea of shipping ribs from Memphis to Hartford was a wild idea. Today, a laundry list of family-owned restaurants and bakeries are hip to the game. That reality breeds a whole new generation of arm-chair traveler, where you can actually get a taste of what you're missing out on.
Ultimately, mail-order specialties allow for culinary excursions regardless of one's ability to hit the road. Those selected here are the most successful in imparting the distinct flavor of the areas from which they come.
Written by Nick Schonberger (@nschon)

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